Berberine and barberry (Berberis vulgaris): A clinical review

Citations Over TimeTop 1% of 2019 papers

Abstract

Barberry (Berberis vulgaris L.) has different medicinal applications in folk medicine of Iran. Berberine, an alkaloid constituent of this plant, is present in the roots, rhizomes, stem, and bark of B. vulgaris and many other plants. There have been many clinical trials conducted that suggested a wide range of therapeutic applications. Here, we investigated the clinical uses of berberine and B. vulgaris in the treatment of different diseases in humans. An extensive search in electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Sciences and Science Direct) was used to identify the clinical trials on B. vulgaris and berberine. Lipid-lowering and insulin-resistance improving actions are the most studied properties of berberine in numerous randomized clinical trials. There are also clinical trials regarding cardiovascular, anticancer, gastrointestinal, CNS, endocrine, and so on. Berberine has very low toxicity in usual doses and reveals clinical benefits without major side effects. Only mild gastrointestinal reactions may occur in some patients. The purpose of this review is to provide a summary concerning the clinical trials conducted on berberine to improve the clinical application of this nutraceutical in different diseases. In this review article, we used 77 clinical studies on human subjects.

Related Papers

• → Phytopharmacology and Clinical Updates of Berberis Species Against Diabetes and Other Metabolic Diseases(2020)101 cited
• → Berberine contents and alkaloid profile of Berberis species from different altitudes(1980)53 cited
• Quantitative Determination of Total Alkaloids and Berberine in Five Medicinal Berberis Plants(2014)
• → Anti-diabetic Effects of Berberis cretica Extract in INS-1E Cells(2021)2 cited
• → Studies on the Extraction of Plant Constituents. V. : Extraction of Berberine from Berberis thunbergii(1969)